


Protective Much?

by mistyhollowdrummer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, Heats, I'm so sorry, Lots of cursing actually, Mainly Pidge, Some Cursing, Very Slight Spoilers, Very small mentions of Hunk and Shay, We all know she cusses like a sailor, lots of smut, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 14:24:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10698864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistyhollowdrummer/pseuds/mistyhollowdrummer
Summary: She knew it was coming. There was no stopping it. Her heat would come no matter what she did, and on a ship with three other alpha's, her greatest fears were being realized. It just had to be her luck that Lance saw the symptoms of her heat before anyone else and put two and two together, quickly realizing two very important things.1: He wasn't going to touch her.2: He wasn't going to let anyone else touch her, and would do whatever it took to keep her safe, even at the expense of his own sanity.





	Protective Much?

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this wasn't that long. It was like, some 4000 words, but then I kept adding to it, because I figured things differently for the characters and their personalities. Kudos to you if you read through 22,000 words of smut.  
> And people. Lemme be honest here. I write so much yaoi I had to think long and hard about how a guy and a girl have sex. Straight up went and looked up porn because I needed material for it. Can I at least get a pity Kudos? Because it's hard to find porn that's semi decent and doesn't make you want to gag. :1

She knew it was coming. There was no stopping it. 

They'd been up in the deepest part of the galaxy for a little more than two of earth’s months, and just because she was up there didn't mean shit to her body. It stopped nothing about her physical developments. Periods she hated, but dealt with like everything was normal. Her breasts aching a bit? Completely normal too, even though they were just about the size of a rolled up sock. 

Her heat? Completely not normal. 

This made things so complicated, because one: She'd been in pain for days, reduced to humping her pillows and using her fingers to replace what clearly would have ended if she had an alpha, which she didn't. 

Two: She was on a ship full of alphas. With the exception of Hunk, who was a beta, and Allura and Coran. Thankfully their Altean biology protected them from these horrid identifications. 

Because of that, that meant that only they could see her when she went into heat to bring her food and water, and maybe medicine to curve the ache. That was if they had anything that could replicate Earth’s medicine. They thought they could try out the stasis pods, see if that could fix anything, or even speed up the duration of the heat, but they quickly found out it wouldn't work when Keith went into a rut himself. Not only did it do nothing, but when he came out, it was as if his body had been frozen in time, which meant he still had to deal with the entire length of his heat, which he did locked away in his room, staying away from Pidge and Allura. 

She noticed it days before. The all too noticeable signs of her heat were rapidly approaching her. The shortness in breath, the sensitivity to light and sound, even to touch. It didn't need to be an intimate touch. Hunk patted her shoulder, telling her she'd done a great job taking down the gladiator in training, and when the warmth spread through her, making her lungs clench, her heart ache, and a familiar sensation blooming in her lower region, she knew it was coming. 

There was no stopping it. 

She started seeing them less. That was their first non-verbal clue. She would take her food back to her room, and training was cut short when she couldn't keep up. It was Lance who inevitably noticed it days before, because he recognized the signs. He had three sisters at home, and his mother, who were also omegas. He was used to the signs, the disconnection and the clear indication of discomfort. That, and when Pidge happened to brush past him, he noticed the difference in her scent. 

Any day now. 

He stopped her short before she could leave the day before her heat actually hit, asking her to talk. Clearly Pidge wasn't in the mood, the agitation showing so easily for him simply asking to strike conversation. However, she agreed, but only within close proximity of Allura. 

It wasn't that she didn't trust the others. She trusted them with her life and would never think lowly of her fellow paladin's, but even Hunk would be susceptible to instinct the minute he smelled her pheromones. There was no telling if they'd be able to hold themselves back or not, so she needed someone nearby who wouldn't be effected by her heat, which was Allura. She and Coran were the only ones who could stop any of them if it came down to them losing themselves and trying to claim her. 

"Your heat is starting..." Lance stated, clear and to the point. No messing around on that one. 

Pidge had to act like she had no idea what he was talking about, because she didn't want any of them to know. She'd keep it a secret as long as she could, because the longer she could go without any of them knowing, the safer she was. 

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She replied, her hands tugging at her windbreaker and pulling it down. Somehow she felt more secure doing that. 

"Pidge, I know it’s due any day now." Lance refused to play this game with her. 

"H-How would you know?" She didn't mean to stutter, but knowing she'd been caught mixed with the heat in her stomach made for it to be very difficult to talk. 

"I've got four omega's I take care of at home." He stated, but quickly realized the implications of what he'd just said. Just the look of sheer terror that struck her face was enough for him to quickly change the way he worded himself. "My mom, a-and my sisters. I take care of them when they go into heat, like feeding them, giving them water, making sure they have clean clothes. You know... That stuff."

"Done with a total erection, right?" She tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but even thinking of Lance in that situation had her legs squeezing together. 

It was already getting worse. 

"Unfortunately I can't control my body not to get one, even if it's my family." The Blue Paladin made a face of disgust, clearly not interested in it either. He couldn't stop his body from reacting to the scents in the air, but he managed to keep himself grounded long enough to make sure his family was okay. "So I know the signs. I know yours is coming. Probably any day, right?"

"Soon." Was all she could reply with. She'd been caught red handed, so what was the point of denying it now? 

"You never said you were an omega." 

"You never asked." She retorted with irritation. 

"You never went into heat..." He mumbled. 

"I had suppressants when we were on earth." She explained. "I-I ran out though. Didn't think I'd be a hero of the universe in space and all."

"Right..." Lance stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling an all too familiar itch. Her heat hadn't even started yet, but he felt the familiar heat growing in his body.

A desire to take. An instinct to claim. 

Pidge could never be claimed. She was a free spirit that could never be tied down by such trivial things. 

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked her, watching her shift her weight from one leg to the next. "You won't have anyone to be with you for your heat. Unless... Did you ask-?"

"No, I didn't ask anyone." Pidge quickly cut him off, trying to keep her mind out of the gutter. "I'm not putting that on anyone. We all need to be level headed here, especially if Zarkon finds us again."

"You'd be in no condition to fight." He argued. 

"No one will if they come near me. Allura and Coran have already agreed to help me, because it doesn't affect them. That's all I'll need. Until that happens, I'm going to tough it out on my own. I've done it before, and I can do it again."

Hearing her speak so vehemently was troubling in a way. His sisters once spoke like that, but the minute their heats first hit them, the real deal and not the heat they felt days before it, they were wrong. They didn't realize the pressure it put on their bodies, and didn't realize how quickly they would spread their legs for any alpha within the nearest mile of them. That's why Lance was good for this. His presence as an alpha helped calm just a bit of their heat, comforting and reassuring. He helped them through it by simply sitting there and rubbing their stomachs to quell the cramps they felt. 

Pidge said she'd done it before though. This wasn't her first heat, and certainly not her last. She'd been through the pain all on her own, which he couldn't even imagine doing. His own ruts were hell; he couldn't imagine an omega going through it alone. 

Then again, this was Pidge he was thinking of. Incredibly strong, smart, talented, and fighting Pidge. If anyone could do it, it was her. 

* * *

She was an idiot. 

She didn't know what made this heat so different. She'd had them before, and with the presence of her brother, who was an alpha, in the house. She was used to it, used to having them, used to the pain, used to the knowledge that there was an alpha close by that could take her so easily in seconds and fix everything, so why this time did it hurt so much?

Maybe it wasn't just the presence of an alpha. Maybe it was the presence of three of them not too far away. Keith, Shiro and Lance were alpha's; hell, Hunk was a beta, and she didn't mind if he'd fuck her through her heat either. 

Her stomach was cramping in a way it never had before. Twisted in knots, she laid on her side to relieve it, her lower half turned to rub herself against the mattress of her bed. Her sheets were soaked with her fluids at this point, and rolling around had inevitably gotten it all on herself too. Her mind was so fogged though that she couldn't even care, reaching behind herself to push two fingers in with little preparation.

It wasn't enough. 

Another was added. A bit of a stretch, but not enough. It wasn't the thickness, but the length. It wasn't reaching her deepest parts. She couldn't angle herself right to get all of the spots that would surely make her black out if she hit them right. There was nothing in her room that could be a substitute either, so her fingers were all she had, and clearly were not enough. 

She cried out into her pillow, frustration and pain all at once. Her head was pounding, her lungs heaving for air, and momentarily did she think that there was a leak and all of the oxygen in her room was gone and replaced with carbon monoxide, the silent killer. Maybe it would kill her. 

That would be nice. It was better than suffering what had to be one of her worst heats to date. 

* * *

"I didn't think we'd smell it from here..." 

Hunk had wrapped his headband around his face, covering his nose. Anything if it meant keeping the scent of heat out from his nostrils. He was a beta, so he wasn't as quick to jump into action at the call of a weak omega in distress, but he'd be damned if it didn't affect him. 

He definitely had his legs crossed to avoid everyone seeing his erection, which wouldn't surprise them if they had. They all had them. 

It was just the nature of it. 

"Are her heats usually like this?" Keith sat down hard in the chair at the dining table, his hands clutching the table until his fingers turned white. Keith was a loner, so he wasn't subjected to an omega's heat like everyone else had been. This was effecting him the most. 

"I don't know..." Shiro replied, his hand covering his nose. "Never knew she was an omega until just recently. I thought she was a beta."

"So did I." Keith dropped his head to the table, fingers scratching the back of his head to keep himself grounded. He didn't want to do anything stupid. "How long do heats last for omegas?"

"A few weeks." Lance replied. He'd been leaning into the wall by the door, arms crossed over his chest and frowning. He looked like he'd been concentrating on something until Keith spoke up. "Goes by faster if they have an alpha with them."

He felt like that last bit of information wasn't needed. The only ones who didn't know anything of this were Allura and Coran, and now seemingly Keith. Telling the Red Paladin that, however, didn't sit well with him. Like he'd just told him a secret he shouldn't have.

Keith didn't seem very in control of himself right now, and telling him that he had meant Keith now had that idea in his head. He'd never hurt Pidge, but instincts weren't easy to fight. Lance definitely knew. 

He snarled to himself. 

"And there's nothing we can do?" Allura asked them.

"No, unfortunately not." Shiro assured her, trying to smile. 

"I feel bad that she's suffering by herself. She said to give her a few days before I come to check on her, but I don't want to leave her alone."

Even hearing that Allura wanted to be with her, someone who wasn't even human and wouldn't lay a finger on her, had Lance's blood boiling. 

No one needed to see her. No one. 

"It's best if you do. Staying by herself will keep her from moving around too much." Shiro explained. "However, _we_ don't need to be sitting around like this. Let's go get the gladiator out and start training. The physical exertion will help us." 

"Training deck is farthest from her room. That should put you guys in an area to clear your heads." Allura added, standing to help Shiro to his feet. The man wasn't too bad right now, but oh how his legs shook. He'd been sitting for a reason. 

"Maybe we should just bunk on the training deck until her heat is over." Hunk openly joked, but he was telling some truth to that.

"You want me to honestly fight like this?" Keith gaped at the man in horror. 

"Yes. Trust me when I say that it will help." Shiro told him, patting at his back. 

"That will be awkwardly prominent in our suits." Hunk said and stood up. "But I need to hit something."

“Same…” Lance muttered. He needed to take his aggressions out on something.

“I can set the gladiator to its most difficult setting if it makes you feel better.” Allura offered, but just as quickly as the offer came from her did the entire team say in unison, “no.”

“No offense, Allura, but we aren’t the female hulk like you are.” Hunk told her.

“What’s the female hulk?” She asked with furrowed brows.

“It’s… Never mind.” Hunk waved it off like it was nothing.

“You guys can do that. I’m going to the bathroom real quick.” Keith said, finally standing to leave the room.

“Keith-” Shiro began, but the Red Paladin waved his hand at him.

“Don’t worry. I won’t go near her. Just don’t feel like training in this condition.” Keith assured him.

As much as he wanted to believe that, Lance didn’t feel right just letting Keith walk around by himself. He didn’t want any of them walking around by themselves, but especially Keith. As he walked by, the Blue Paladin fixed him with a glare, a snarl under his breath. Keith only glared back, a quickly passing glance before he left the room.

* * *

He didn’t like this. He didn’t like it at all.

There was a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach as Lance paced the halls, looking for Keith. In hindsight, he knew the direction he was going, because he should have known never to have left Pidge alone in the first place. He just hoped somewhere along the way he’d find Keith and everything would be fine.

It wasn’t.

He found Keith not far from Pidge’s room, leaning against the wall, and a hand over his mouth and nose to block out the smell that was so much stronger here than it was in the dining hall. Lance immediately felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him, knowing not far off, Pidge was in her room, suffering the worst of her heat, and an alpha wasn’t far off. One smell of him and there was no telling what would happen.

Actually, there was, and that was what was scary to him.

“Keith!” He barked at the teen, quickly running over to get in between him and Pidge’s room. He grabbed at his shoulders and pushed him away, making himself known that the teen wouldn’t get to her. He wouldn’t let anyone get near her.

“L-Lance…” Keith was a shivering mess, his hands bawled into fists. His nails would have been biting into his skin had it not been for his gloves.

“Go back, Keith.” Lance warned him, his voice low and threatening, but that’s when the smell coming from her room really hit him.

His stomach tightened up, and had it not been for what he deemed as a threat standing before him, he would have fallen over, would have clutched at his stomach and covered his nose to avoid breathing in the pheromones.

“I-I can’t…”

“You aren’t laying a hand on her,” Lance was ready to push at Keith again before the paladin was quickly shaking his head.

“I-I don’t wanna,” He breathed, pushing himself into the wall. “I don’t wanna touch her. I don’t wanna hurt her. I-I had to go to the bathroom, I swear, but the smell. It’s just…” Keith pushed his forehead into the wall, maybe as a way to incite pain that would stop himself.

Lance actually felt bad for thinking the worst out of him. He shouldn’t have, because Keith was still his teammate, his family, no matter how often they butted heads. Just because his instincts were kicking in didn’t mean anything about him as a person, and Lance felt guilty for ever thinking otherwise. He wouldn’t lay a finger on Pidge without her full, _lucid_ consent.

“You’ve gotta get out of here,” Lance told him and pushed at his shoulders. “Put as much distance as you can between you two, or you’re going to lose it.”

Keith shook his head again, suddenly pushing against the hands at his shoulders, as if being forced back was putting a strain on him. It probably was. Lance gave a hard shove at him, forcing him back a couple of tumbling steps before doing it again, and once more before Keith managed to turn himself around. He staggered briefly, his body still telling him to go, claim, mark his territory, but he moved forward on his own. Slowly, but on his own.

Lance gave him another hard shove, the last he needed for Keith’s feet to pick up out from under him and start running. He released a sigh, realizing himself that, had it not been for him, there was no telling what would have happened. Keith would never hurt her, but he wasn’t in the right frame of mind, and unfortunately, neither was he.

The smell intensified it seemed, and all too soon, and as he realized, _too late_ , was he caught up in it. He covered his nose with his shirt, his hand covering his nose to keep the scent out, but it was too late. He was trapped in the pheromones.

“S-Shit…”

_It wouldn’t hurt to check on her._

His mind was telling him that, because it would be wise to make sure she was okay. The other part of his brain, however, the part not affected by the smell, was telling him to step away now, run like Keith had, or he’d be in just as bad of a spot as the Red Paladin had been.

He couldn’t seem to though. His feet were carrying him forward down the hall, to her door where the smell permeated the strongest. His hands fisted by his sides, nails digging into his palms. He could hear small, quiet whimpers from the other side, like she was in pain. No, that was a stupid to think. She _was_ in pain, because there was no alpha to help her.

He swallowed hard.

He was still moderately coherent enough to knock on the door. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he didn't get a response, which is what he should have expected. 

Carefully he opened her door, and the smell of hormones hit him so fast that it took out his breath. His nails dug into the metal paneling of her door, his body suddenly aching with the upheaval of air from his lungs. Maybe it had been a long time since one of his sister’s last heats, because he didn't remember any of them being this intense. He didn't remember it ever knocking the air out of him or making his knees as weak as they were. 

Maybe it was because it had been his family. Maybe it was because it was Pidge. 

Pidge who was laying on the floor under a thin blanket, and from the looks of it, completely naked. The blanket must have been something for her last shred of dignity, because she knew Coran and Allura would walk in and see her like this. It was all that was covering her. 

Lance tried mumbling her name, but he couldn't seem to speak. He was stuck with his mouth open, trying very hard not to take in the scent, but it was difficult. He really didn't think it would affect him like this. 

Stepping in, Lance shut the door behind him before kneeling down beside her. For a moment he feared she wasn't breathing with the way she was curled up, unmoving, but he saw the subtle shiver run through her body when he set a hand down on her waist, feeling the heat of her body emanate from under the blanket. 

"P-Pidge..." He mumbled, just barely above a whisper. In such dense quiet, she heard him regardless, brassy eyes opening to a bleary image of him in front of her. 

For a moment, she thought she was delusional, because Lance wasn't stupid enough to come anywhere near her room while she was in heat. In the next moment, she didn't care, completely forgetting her inhibitions to sit up and grip at his jacket. 

"Lance..." Her voice sounded completely wrecked as she quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing her naked chest to his body. She gasped at the sensation, recoiling for a moment before doing it again, just to get another taste of it. 

Lance's hands grabbed at her hips, pulling her close. He buried his nose in her neck and inhaled, lips brushing against her skin damp from sweat. He pressed a kiss just below her ear, her hair tickling his cheek in the process. She practically keened in response, wiggling her hips over his leg to rub herself against his thigh. 

Pidge groaned, her head tilting back as she thrust her hips back and forth, the sensation completely different from rutting against her pillow. If she only knew what the sight of her alone was doing to Lance's body and mind. 

He didn't think it was possible to be as hard as he was right now. Genuinely he was surprised he hadn't lost that last shred of sanity left in him. 

"Pidge, s-stop..." His grip on her hips tightened, slowing them down so she would stop. If she didn't, there was no telling he wouldn't either. 

The green paladin whined, her head shaking against his in displeasure at the idea. No, she couldn't stop.  _Wouldn't_  stop. Why would he want her to stop? Didn't he want this too? Isn't that what he came here for?

"Yes," He hissed, pushing her back with the very little strength he had left in him. 

"No..." Her voice cracked, tears of frustration burning her eyes when he forced her back to the floor. "Stop it..." She pleaded with him, holding onto his sleeves. 

"No,  _you_  stop it. Y-You aren't in your right frame of mind right now, Pidge. You don't want this." Hell, even if he knew that was the truth, instinct told him that she definitely wanted it, and he definitely wanted to stop talking and be inside of her already.  

"Yes I do," The girl moved forward, pressing back into him and pressing her lips to the shell of his ear. "I need it, Lance. I need  _you_..."

The paladin hissed, shaking his head to keep himself sane. 

"No, you don't need me. You need an alpha, and I-I'm not doing this to you while you're under the influence of your heat." He grabbed at her and pulled her against his body, her legs on either side of his hips, chest pressed into his, and head resting against his shoulder. "I'm not taking this away from you. Not now at least..."

"Lance, please...!" She begged him, gripping at his jacket to get some friction between them. She tried to move again, but his grip was iron tight, holding her in place. It didn't work. "F-Fuck... Please..."

"No..." Lance rubbed the back of her head, running his hand through her damp hair. She wiggled about in his arms, and continued to do so even after he leaned into the side of her bed. 

Pidge whimpered in pain, her cheeks damp with tears of frustration. She finally had an alpha nearby, but he wasn't doing anything. He was just sitting here holding her instead of doing what nature intended for them to do. All she wanted him to do was get inside of her and make the cramps go away, but this stubborn fool wasn't doing that. He was just sitting on his ass, holding her, somehow thinking (and that fact he was coherently thinking at all was ridiculous) that this was enough. 

It wasn't enough. 

Of course, while she couldn't think it now, somewhere in her heart, she knew this was a good thing. 

* * *

"Pidge...?" Allura knocked lightly on the door. She didn't hear anything inside, like the small little whimpers Pidge told her she'd make or possible moans.

She was expecting those sounds and probably more, but she didn't hear anything. Maybe she had fallen asleep? Somehow the princess liked that idea. That meant that she wasn't suffering like she knew she was.

She hated that there wasn't anything she could do for the green paladin. Pidge even said that there wasn't anything she could do, and tried her best to help ease her concerns, but in the end, Allura still worried for her. Even if it was nature for human's to go into heat like this, even if it was very common and happened all the time, that didn't mean she was okay with it. She hated the idea that Pidge had to go through this at all let alone once every two months. 

It wasn't fair for the poor girl. On top of fighting Zarkon, finding her lost brother and father, and saving the universe, she had to deal with bodily functions that she couldn't shut off and that were a pain to herself. Why did she need to add anything else to it? 

"Pidge...?" Allura knocked again, listening for a response closely, but there wasn't one. The paladin had said to give her a few days for the more serious side effects of her heat to subside, because if she didn't, there was no telling if Pidge would even try to jump her, regardless of her lack of status. The princess didn't know what "jump" meant when she explained it, and Pidge didn't give an explanation when prompted for it, so she assumed it was best not to find out. "I'm coming in, Pidge..." She said outside of the door. 

Allura gave it a few more moments, waiting for any warnings to tell her not to before allowing the door to slide open. She was quickly hit with a very pungent smell, but she didn't know how to place it. She'd never smelt anything like it before, but it was extremely prominent the moment the door opened. Is this what the others had been smelling? If so, she didn't know why it'd promote a physical reaction from the body. It wasn't a very pleasant smell, but she wasn't human. It was different for her. 

"Pidge...?" Her room had been darkened, but the light from the hallway provided minimal lighting to see through her cluttered room. 

She wasn't alone. 

Pidge was laying on her side on the floor, huddled under a thin blanket and someone else's jacket. Allura couldn't tell if she was asleep or not, but she knew the person next to her wasn't when his head lifted, looking towards her with dazed and confused eyes.

"Lance...?" She questioned.

She hadn't seen him for days, but in retrospect, she hadn't seen any of the paladins in days. Usually everyone was training, but right now, everyone was in hiding to avoid the scent. She just assumed Lance had been in his room this whole time, not here, and she felt a strike of panic upon seeing him. 

He wasn't supposed to be here. None of the paladin's were supposed to go near her let alone be in her room, and here Lance was, lying on his side beside her, a hand around her waist, the other under her head, acting as a pillow. He was covered in a layer of fresh sweat, and his clothes looked sullied. His pants were completely damp in the front seat, but he hadn't taken them off. As to why, she wasn't so sure. It was easy to draw up a conclusion from all of this. 

"Lance..." The princess said his name as calmly as she could, her hands lifting in a defensive manner.

She'd been warned from Pidge a week or so ago before her heat that alpha's can get extremely territorial when omega's go into heat. They can get extremely aggressive too, which is why she had to watch her stance. If he was here meant that she had been too late, and that Lance had inevitably fallen to the smell of her hormones. If he considered her a threat, there was no telling what he'd do. 

"Princess..." He mumbled, as if trying to collect his thoughts and realize that yes, the princess was here right now, which meant that a few days of this torture had gone by. She probably had the wrong idea. "Allura, it's okay..."

His voice was scratchy and his throat was completely dry from the lack of water. Come to think of it, he hadn't had any food or water in a few days. 

"Lance, what's going on?" The princess asked as she slowly came to kneel down beside them. Lance didn't seem aggressive at all, so she figured she could relax just a bit. "You aren't supposed to be here. Have you done-?"

"No, I haven't." Lance quickly stopped her, trying to sit up without moving Pidge around too much. "We haven't done anything."

"Against my fucking will..." The green paladin suddenly mumbled bitterly. Lance chuckled lightly, his hand moving over her stomach in small circles. The gesture caused the paladin to whine, her body curling on his hand.

"I thought alphas couldn't resist an omega in heat," Allura mentioned, looking down at her friend who was clearly in pain. "Was I misinformed?" 

"No, you're right," Lance said, feeling the girl beneath him twitch slightly. "I've had practice at resisting though. I'm okay..."

"Are you sure...?" Allura asked. "If you need help getting out-"

"He's not going anywhere..." Pidge grumbled, reaching down to hold his hand in place. Maybe it was his presence, or his hand rubbing at the cramping in her stomach, or even a bit of the fresh air coming into the room, but it helped. It brought some form of semblance through her foggy mind. 

"I'm okay, Allura." Lance assured her, looking at her eyes and looking absolutely defeated. The princess didn't think she could recall a time he looked so broken down within the few months they'd known each other. 

"Well, it’s good to know you're okay, Pidge." Allura said, setting a cool hand over her bare arm. The teen whimpered at the contact. "I'm glad you're both okay. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Water," Lance said, his throat aching as he spoke. "Food and water would be nice. A lot of it."

"Of course." Allura said. "Is there anything else?"

"I wouldn't mind a couple changes of clothes." 

Lance could feel the stickiness of his clothes that he'd been wearing for the better part of a week now. Sticky from lord knows what besides the obvious. She'd been sitting in lap for a few days before they laid down on the floor to cool off, and her fluids practically soaked the seat of his pants. He wouldn't lie and say that he himself hadn't leaked a little bit, because he had, and the inside of his underwear was completely ruined. It was safe to say that these pants and underwear would probably be thrown away. His shirt was probably still salvageable; it would just need a couple of washes. 

"Also, if you could bring some towels too. I'm going to try and give her a cold bath. She's burning up." Lance explained, rubbing at her stomach in little circles. 

"Absolutely," Allura rubbed at Pidge's arm one more time before patting Lance's shoulder. With that, she took her leave, giving the two of them the privacy they needed. 

"I hate you..." Pidge mumbled, a small whimper escaping her shortly after when Lance's thumb did a very nice motion with added pressure to ease her cramps. 

"Yeah, love you too..." Lance retorted, sitting up more. His arm slide out from under her, and the green paladin practically sobbed. Her body may have understood that she wasn't going to have sex, but it also understood that Lance was there to be by her side. If she had an alpha there, she could stay calm. Even moving just a bit seemed to set her off completely. "Shh, don't worry..."

Lance quickly alleviated her previous position by lifting her up against his chest, his other arm moving to pick her up from under her knees in a bridal like fashion. Pidge cried out in pain from the sudden movement of her alpha and from the cold air when the blanket slid off of her damp skin. A little bit of everything. 

"Lance..." She cried against his chest. 

"It's okay, Pidge. I'm just going to get you into a bath. We need to cool you down." Her body temperature was getting too high. It happened sometimes when omega's or alpha's went into heat, but if someone didn't cool them down quickly, it could lead to a lot of bad things. The immune system was very weak during a heat, so it wasn't uncommon for the body to be susceptible to heavy infections, and he wasn't going to allow that to happen to her. 

"I h-hate you..." She repeated, whining when she couldn't rub into his body like before. 

"I know. I'd hate me too," Lance joked, walking into the bathroom and turning the lights on, but leaving them dim. The hallway lights had been too bright. "I'm going to set you down for a sec, Pidge."

"No," The girl quickly grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, clinging to him as he slowly set her down on the edge of the tub. "No, don't!"

"Don't worry. I'm right here." Lance assured her in a soothing voice, reaching over her to turn on the water. Pidge's hands fumbled about his shirt, at first clinging to the sleeves, then to the collar, and then to the hem. She wasn't entirely sure where to hold on to. 

"Don't leave me," She pleaded with him, and the helpless and affectionate tone in her voice had him taken aback. 

Lance sat back after he deemed the water an appropriate temperature, looking into her brassy eyes. She looked so content right now; needy and horny, but content. Content that he was here? That she had him by her side? Would she be fine if it was anyone else? He wasn't entirely sure. 

It warmed his heart though to see the relaxed look on her face. All because of him. She'd been in pain for days, and while her heat was far from over, and they still had a lot of fighting left to do, he was glad that he'd been of some use. 

"I'm not leaving you, Pidge. I'm going to stay right here until this is all over. I promise…" He assured her, smiling when he saw her flushed cheeks spread with a small, shy smile. Her hands had eventually found purchase at his neck, holding on to keep herself grounded, to keep herself from falling backwards into the tub that barely had water in it. She had been pretty dizzy.

Her fingers were warm against his skin, and there was a light pressure against his neck as she held on, almost like she was pulling him forward. No, _she_ was pulling him forward, but he didn't realize what that meant or where it was leading to until her lips were just centimeters away from his own. 

He knew better. He knew this wasn't right. He couldn't take advantage of her like this, and yet it was him who closed the distance, pressing his lips into her own. 

She sighed contently against him, her head tilting slightly for a better angle. His own followed in the opposite direction while his hands held her waist, feeling her warm, damp skin, how thin and tiny she was, like she could break if he squeezed too hard. He'd never thought of Pidge before as fragile; hell, this was the girl who tossed Keith over her shoulder in training. She wasn't some fragile item he had to handle carefully, but he'd be damned if she didn't feel like it right now. 

They parted after a few more silent moments, the only sound being the running bath water and their lips separating. Lance's blue eyes looked at her, watching her own open in a dim haze. She looked taken aback by the kiss, like it had surprised her almost, even if she had been the one to start it. 

That hadn't been her first kiss, had it?

He would have felt terrible knowing he took her first kiss from her. They weren't dating, weren't mates, just teammates stuck on a ship lord knows how many light years from Earth. They were just friends. Good friends who'd do anything for each other, but just friends. She probably would feel disgusted later on once her heat died out, and he would be too knowing he took advantage of her. Had the whole Voltron thing never happened, they'd be back on Earth, and probably not even friends. Pidge had been pretty distant before. 

He would have felt terrible, if not for the fact he'd been blind sighted by another kiss. A small, sweet, almost shy kiss. In return he did the same, and then another, and then another. 

It was then that some sort of internal switch had been flipped. All of his hard work at avoiding the inevitable, and yet his hands were moving down, gripping her hips as their kisses became heavy.

Pidge's arms wrapped around his shoulders, her hands gripping his hair, keeping him in place. Her whole body rolled into his, the damp fabric of his jeans rubbing against her crotch in such a way that her eyes would have rolled back into her head had they not been closed. 

Such a motion had her tipping backwards, but Lance's arms were there supporting her, keeping her against him, yanking her off of the tub and onto the floor with him. There was some maneuvering to get comfortable on such a cold, tiled floor, but they managed as quickly as they could. She laid out under him, her body sprawled out, hair a mess, her skin tinted pink all over from a flush, her chest rising and falling with her heavy breathing. Lance couldn't take his eyes off of her chest, looking at her breasts and thinking that they were the perfect size for his hands to cup, but he did for just a moment to pull his shirt over his head and off. 

Pidge gasped at the sight of his bare chest, thinking momentarily through her sex-filled haze that Lance wasn't that toned when she last saw him without a shirt on almost two months ago. He'd been working out, and the thought as well as the sight made her salivate before he came back into her arms, pulling her into his body. 

Her mind went numb when she could feel him between her legs. The outline of his hard cock was pressed perfectly into her clit, and this time her eyes really did roll back as she moaned. Lance's lips were against her neck, sucking and licking and kissing and probably leaving some marks, but she didn't care. No one would see behind the suit of her paladin armor or her regular windbreaker. 

"L-Lance...!" Pidge rolled herself against him, mind going blank for just a moment, her vision whitening around the edges.

Shit, that felt good. Too good. Anymore of that and she wouldn't last any more than a couple of thrusts, and that's exactly what Lance did. 

He pushed himself up onto his forearms and thrust his hips into hers, hard and fast, the front of his jeans rough and scratchy and doing everything her body had been asking for. One hand grabbed at her hip to keep her steady, and that only increased in the pressure of his powerful thrusting. 

She  _screamed_. Her body seized up on her, and just like she figured, she came just as fast as she had assumed. Even against his hand she rode her orgasm out against his covered cock, her back arching and pressing her chest into his, her mind numb to everything but the warm skin against her. 

She came crashing down from her high, barely registering his heavy breathing by her ear, his twitching hips stilling for just a moment, or the fact that her nails left long, angry scratches down his back. He didn't seem to notice as he sat back, looking at her up and down, and for a moment, just a moment, she realized he was still hard. 

"Lance..." She mumbled, fatigue setting in from her first release. It wouldn't be long before her body was ready for more, but for now her cramps had lessened and her body was satiated, even if he hadn't entered her. Her mind could form just a few coherent thoughts. 

Like the fact he was still hard. That was actually slightly impressive, if not also worrisome. He still had to cum, and she was mildly surprised he hadn't after how long he'd been holding it in like she had. 

Or the fact that he looked slightly mortified. As for what reason, she wasn't sure, but the expression on his face was quick to make her worry. 

"Lance...?" Pidge lifted a hand to his cheek, feeling the heat of his body radiating through her palm. He quickly pushed her hand away and wrapped his arms around her waist to help her sit up. It was quick and not at all gentle like he had been before, pulling her off of the floor and back to the tub where the water had suddenly risen to the top.

He was quick to turn it off and just as fast to slowly lower her down into the cold water. She recoiled instantly, but even as she pulled on him to keep herself above water, he lowered her in regardless. 

It was a cold bite against her hot and flushed skin. Pidge was so used to the heat of her body and the scorching burn within her core that the cold water was unwelcoming, waking up her tired, sluggish senses and forcing her muscles to tighten against her will. She had already been so wound up that it actually hurt to sink into the water, even if it meant lowering her temperature to keep her alive. 

"L-Lance," She stuttered, reaching out her hands when he backed up. 

"Hold on," He told her before slowly stepping in, hissing when the water seemingly burned against his heated skin. 

"Your pants are still on..." Pidge mumbled. 

"I'm not taking them off..." He said, keeping himself at a distance from her. The cold against his erection didn't feel all that great either. "F-For obvious reasons..."

"Not like you haven't seen me naked now..." Pidge spoke softly, noticing his standoffish behavior. 

It was then that she somewhat understood his words though. He hadn't come yet, which meant he was on the cusp of losing himself. He was holding back so he wouldn't do anything to her, just like he'd been doing all this time. 

He was putting himself through that kind of physical strain for her. Her heart suddenly started beating harder in her chest.

"Lance..." She mumbled, moving forward in the water to be closer, to embrace him. He stopped her short, however, by grabbing at her shoulders and pushing her back. 

"Don't." He bit out in a clipped tone. 

"Lance-" She began, but he stopped her. 

"Don't, Pidge. I can't-..." He hissed, pushing her back until there was some distance between them. The water sloshed out of the tub, splashing to the floor. "Shit! Where is Allura?"

He needed to go, and _now_. He couldn't leave her alone though. If he left her alone, she was at the mercy of anyone who came in here. If he stayed, he was going to be that reason, and he couldn't do that to her. 

"Lance-" She tried again, but Lance suddenly stood, water dripping from his soaked jeans. He quickly got out of the tub, the floor drenched and slippery, but he managed to maintain his balance, if only long enough to run from the bathroom. "Lance, wait!"

He could hear Pidge calling out for him as he ran from her room, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. If he did, there was no saying he could stop himself again. He ran blindly, only to find himself at his own room minutes later. Lance hadn’t really had a destination in particular when he left; he just knew he had to get out of there.

Being so far away from her room took away the smell. The pheromones weren’t as severe locked away in his own room than down the hall, which mean he had the chance to take a few deep, heavy breathes of fresh air and clear his mind.

It didn’t work.

Even if it helped, all he could think about was Pidge. Pidge who he’d selfishly left in a tub of cold water. Pidge, who was still exposed and unprotected from everyone else on the ship. Pidge, who he’d left alone, when all she wanted was for him to stay and take care of her.

Pidge, whose pale, soft skin felt incredible against his own. The soft glow in the dim lighting of the bathroom, damp and shining from the water. Her short, brown hair splayed out in all sorts of directions, sticking to her cheeks, her neck, and the floor when she was laying under him.

Lance was unaware of when his hand had traveled into his pants, grabbing at his aching cock that had been straining for days within the confines of his pants, but it clearly wouldn’t suffice. The teen was quick to undo the zipper and button of his wet jeans and yank both them and his underwear down to free himself, feeling the cold air bite his damp skin, but relief was ever present as he grabbed his erection and started stroking with a heavy hand.

He hadn’t ever thought of Pidge in this kind of light before. She had always been cute in her nerdy sort of way, and Pidge and Hunk were his best friends, but he’d never looked at her like this before. Probably because he’d never had the images in his head of what she’d look like in this type of situation.

It was addictive. Seeing the way her back arched into his touch, how the small of her back would leave the ground. How her hips shuddered in response to even the lightest of touches. When they were laying side by side, it drove him up a wall when her hips would curl back into his own, even unconsciously. Her skin was so warm, and even in the dark light, he could see her body flushed against his.

Lance groaned into his palm as he stroked himself with vigor, feeling his peak reaching faster than it ever had before.

Her body was absolutely stunning. He’d never thought it before, and maybe a lot of that was the hormones talking, but she was very pretty. She wasn’t a very big chested girl, but he’d be damned if he didn’t think what she had wasn’t perfect. Perfect for his hands to hold, perfect to suck on, to leave marks against her skin in contrast, and she would probably scream like she had earlier. She’d make those beautiful sounds like she had, call out his name, beg for him, and hold onto him like both of their lives depended on it. She wouldn’t let go, and she’d beg for more until she’d cum with his name on her lips-

Lance came. He came harder than he thought he would, his knees buckling, the wall the only thing keeping him up. He moaned into his palm, watching through a thick fog as his hand was painted with his semen, and momentarily, he wondered what this would look like all over Pidge’s chest and stomach.

His legs eventually caved in, sliding to the floor for his butt to meet the cold tile. He gasped, his mind reeling at the thoughts of the girl he’d left alone. She was probably getting out of the bath, trying to find something to wear to keep herself covered and to warm herself back up. She was probably cold by now, especially without him there. Probably a shivering mess under the thin blanket she’d had before, which clearly wasn’t enough to keep her warm. She needed a warm body to be there for her, to press against her, have his arms around her, keep her warm and tell her she was going to be okay when she clearly felt like she wouldn’t be.

He felt like shit now. Even more so that he just came and he was still slightly stiff. Thinking about her in that sort of position was terrible, and yet it riled up his body. He felt the need to blame it on her heat, because he could still smell even the slightest bit of her pheromones, and yet he knew that he couldn’t use that excuse forever.

Lance’s hand went back down to rub his slowly growing erection, and internally, he was cussing himself out for being such a terrible person.

* * *

When Lance knocked on the door, he wasn’t expecting a male voice to reply for him to come in. At first he was struck with panic, but when he saw Coran and Allura sitting by Pidge’s bed, he felt relief. Coran would never do anything to her.

The green paladin looked like she was fast asleep in bed, Lance’s jacket around her shoulders, hidden under layers and layers of blankets to keep her warm. She was shivering, and from where he stood, Lance thought he could see the remnants of tears on her cheeks.

He felt like absolute shit.

“Ah, there you are, Lance.” Coran said quietly, trying not to wake up the teen.

“Where were you?” Allura asked, her tone clipped, but quiet to avoid rousing her. “I came back with someone water and some towels and you were gone. Pidge was all alone on the bathroom floor.”

Lance grimaced, looking away for a moment and to his friend.

She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve to be left alone like that. It wasn’t her fault.

“I’m sorry…” He apologized before walking over and sitting down on the edge of her bed, a hand lifting to run through her wet hair. “I was losing myself. I had to leave for a bit.”

“Are you okay now?” The princess asked wearily.

“If you need a little more time, we can sit with her for a tic until you’re ready to come back.” Coran suggested, but was quickly met with a shake of the teen’s head.

“No, I’m okay now.” He should have been after three orgasms.

Lance leaned down, pressing his lips lightly into Pidge’s cheek. He only meant for it as a silent apology; he hadn’t meant to wake her up from her probably ill slumber. She hadn’t looked like she was having an easy time trying to sleep either.

When her eyes opened, they instantly sought out what woke her up. It was easy and quick to find Lance, and even quicker to sit up and wrap her arms around his shoulders, gasping when the heat of his body dulled the cold chill going down her back.

“Lance…!” She cried out, her face pressing into his neck, inhaling his scent.

“Shh, it’s alright…” Lance murmured, rubbing the back of her head while rocking back and forth slightly. “It’s okay. I’m right here…”

“Y-You said you wouldn’t leave…” Pidge’s voice was broken, tears dripping against Lance’s neck. He felt like he belonged in hell for ever making her go through this. “You said you would stay with me. You promised…!”

“I know I did, and I’m sorry…” He lifted her up into his lap, feeling cotton against his hand as he held her thigh. Allura must have dressed her so she wouldn’t be exposed, but it was useless. Her underwear was already no less than ruined from her heat.

“You s-said…” Pidge stuttered, her breathing heavy. It was as if being away from Lance had practically torn her apart.

They weren’t mates, but that’s how she was acting.

“I know, Pidge. I know. I’m so sorry. I promise you it won’t happen again…” Lance looked up, sparing a glance at the princess and Coran. Allura seemed to understand what he was thinking without having to say it, motioning towards the older man silently before standing. He stood too, and quietly so as not to disturb them, they left.

“I’m going to stay right here. I’m not leaving you again…” He promised, slowly lowering her down onto the bed. After having taken care of himself earlier, it made it easier to resist the scent taking over his senses. It was still overwhelming, but seeing Pidge laying on her back, his jacket on her, open around her chest, with just a pair of thin underwear on didn’t affect him as greatly as he thought it would.

Had he not left, he probably would have lost it right then and there.

* * *

Four days went by. Four days of them laying side by side in her bed.

Sometimes Pidge would face him, a hand of hers resting on his neck, the other pressed to his chest. His arm would be slung around her waist, the other a pillow for her head. Other times his front would be pressed into her back, taking care of any chills she would get, kind of like right now.

Most of her heat was over. She still got cramps and still felt lightheaded, but the worst was over. It was easier to breathe around her now, and at one point did Keith and Hunk come in to check on them, because they could resist her now and not lose it like Keith almost had.

He apologized profusely. He expressed the guilt he felt for having such thoughts, and for even nearly acting out on them. To that, Pidge simply stared for a moment before asking when that had even happened. She didn’t even know that Keith had nearly come to her room, and that the reason Lance was there in the first place was because he’d stopped the red paladin. None the less, she didn’t seem to take much concern for it, and accepted it, but told him it wasn’t necessary.  

That was the only time any of them came in. They went back to training, and every now and again Allura or Coran would come in to check on them. Now that most of her heat had subsided, they weren’t as concerned, knowing everyone was safe.

Lance still stayed by her side though. He said he wouldn’t leave, and he didn’t plan to until it was completely over. Now that the worst of it was gone, however, they could have a decent conversation that didn’t involve slurred words or grunting. They talked about small things that kept a conversation going for a while. At one point, they got into an argument about which video game was of its time back on Earth.

Lance couldn’t seem to argue her away from Killbot Phantasm One.

Other times, they were quiet. Kind of like right now. They were laying on their sides, his front pressed against her back, his hand rubbing small circles on her stomach to ease some of the minimal cramps she felt. For a moment, he almost thought she was asleep until her hand eventually found his and held onto it.

“I thought you were asleep…” He mumbled.

“Can’t sleep…” She replied, followed with a small yawn, which was oddly squeaky and cute coming from her.

“Is it not working?” He asked, his hand stilling.

“No, it is. Just thinking too much.”

“You do that a lot.” He told her.

“Mhm…” She hummed in agreement, her fingers lacing between his. Lance chuckled, pressing his face into the back of her head and kissing the top of it. He felt the smaller teen sigh against him, her head tilting back, as if asking for another.

That was another thing that came with the ending of her heat. It was easy for smaller gestures, such as a kiss or holding her hand to stay simple. It didn’t lead anywhere, and it didn’t hurt fighting off the urges to go further. There wasn’t much left that could cause his body to set off, unless they allowed it to go farther, which they wouldn’t.

Even now she had her clothes on, because there wasn’t a very high chance of them being ruined or for her to get all hot and bothered. She kept it minimalistic with a thin cotton shirt she borrowed from Lance and a pair of boxer brief’s which left very little to the imagination.

Not like Lance didn’t know what was there anymore.

“I’m surprised your balls aren’t blue yet…” Pidge suddenly mumbled. It took a moment for that to register in his head before he snorted.

“Nah, just kind of shriveled up. Hurts like hell too.” He remarked. Pidge suddenly turned her head, looking at him with a look that was disbelief.

“They shrivel up?” She asked.

“Yeah. Kind of like raisins.” He told her. The teen suddenly turned her head back, cackling at the thought. “Small, shriveled up, furry raisins.”

“Oh quiznack,” She laughed at the mental image he created, the idea humorous at best.

“Oh I see you take great joy out of my shriveled up, furry raisins.” Lance continued, pulling a loud laugh from the girl. “It’s a terrible medical condition, Pidge! It shouldn’t be made fun of! Any smaller and you can probably pluck them!”

“S-Shut up, Lance!” She reached back to whack him, but there was only so much she could do in the midst of laughter to the point of tears.

The blue paladin smiled widely, his heart rising when he could hear such a beautiful laugh come from her after such a long time. She’d been in so much pain for so long now that it was good to hear it come from her again.

When her laughter died down, Lance made sure she was aware of the kiss on the back of her head. He made sure to hold onto her hand and pull her tight against his body. She relaxed against his body, curling against him, reaching behind herself with her free hand to pat at his head, or at least whatever she could reach of his head.

“You know…” She began, her cheeks tinted a pretty pink that Lance enjoyed looking at. “If you need to take care of that… You know, _that_ , I think I’ll be okay for a bit so you can leave and come back.” She explained.

She knew it must have actually hurt. She could feel his erection pressing into her backside for days now, but before she wouldn’t have been able to let him go. She found it odd, if not a little frightening, how much of a crutch he had become. She couldn’t do anything without him, but she wasn’t sure if that idea was at all scary or relaxing in a way. She had yet to decide that.

“No, I’m okay.” He assured her, his lips close to her ear as he spoke. “Besides, I told you that I’m staying by your side. I won’t leave until this is over.”

Pidge’s heart fluttered in her chest, the words on her tongue catching.

“… L-Lance-” Pidge began, but stopped when there was a knock on the door. Lance’s arms instantly tightened around her, but there was no way they could be any closer than they were already. Was this him being protective? “Come in,” She called out.

The door opened, Shiro’s head peaking inside carefully with a small smile.

“Is it safe to come in?” He asked.

“Yeah, so long as you’re good.” Pidge told him. Shiro nodded his head as he came in, looking at the two teens laying comfortably on her bed.

“I’m good,” He assured her. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than I was two weeks ago.” She said, a small sigh escaping her as she slowly sat up onto her elbow. Lance followed in her movements, his arm never leaving her waist.

“What about you, Lance? How are you holding up?” He asked of the teen.

“Pretty well,” Lance responded.

“Minus the shriveled up raisins.” Pidge uttered under her breath. Lance keened before covering her mouth with one hand, the other pulling her back down while he shushed her, but she was laughing too hard for him to actually be concerned.

“What was that?” Shiro asked with a frown.

“Nothing! She said nothing!” Lance exclaimed, his voice cracking at the higher tone. Pidge slapped his hand away, a couple of giggles escaping her as the two of them resituated themselves to sit up.

“It’s good to see you both back to normal.” Shiro remarked, a smile on his face with his hands resting on his hips. “We were all pretty worried for you two for a while.”

“Who do you think we are, Shiro?” Lance asked, a cocky grin plastered on his face.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Shiro replied, taking some amusement in the way Lance’s grin faded quickly. “I’ll be honest though; I’m really surprised with you, Lance.”

“Why…?” The teen frowned at the remark.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, because I do, but we all know how bad an alpha can be when an omega is in heat. I know Keith and I were on our wits end for a while there ourselves, having to take up rooms at the farthest end of the castle so we wouldn’t do anything stupid. I’m really impressed that you did so well taking care of Pidge. You really pulled through for her.” The man explained with such a warm, genuine smile.

Pidge looked to the blue paladin with a smile, her hand squeezing his own. Lance returned the gesture, a small smile on his face, but as Pidge began to speak, asking Shiro what had happened for the past two weeks, Lance began to fade out their voices. He kept up the smile, but on the inside, it was nothing but guilt.

If only Shiro knew. If only he knew that he had touched her. That they had kissed, touched, and at one point, he nearly lost himself. He had for a while, but he managed to regain his composure, and for what? He ended up leaving her behind to fend for herself in a cold bathtub where some alpha could have come in and taken her. He was thankful it hadn’t come to that, but it still remained an issue.

He didn’t deserve the praise.

* * *

Two weeks had gone by since her heat officially ended.

As much as it could have been, things went back to normal. Things were awkward for the first few days, because, to all of their knowledge, Lance had spent the better part of her heat in her room. They hadn’t left, and after coming out of it all, they seemed a little different. It wasn’t the way they talked to each other, even though they did talk a little more. Witty remarks and short quips were common for them, as well as plans to make an adapter for her new gaming system that they had yet to play. It was how they were around each other.

It was the smaller, physical gestures between them.

None of them missed the way their eyes lingered on one another for a bit longer than usual. The way that Lance would pat Pidge’s shoulder after a hard day of training was usual, but his hand would sit just a bit longer than it would before. How she would look up at him with a gleam of pure happiness in her eyes, like she’d been given the greatest gift in the world, or how he would look exactly the same for absolutely no reason at all.

The green paladin managed to keep up well after having been out of training for two weeks. She kept up well and kicked ass like usual, but not even Coran missed the way she would get in the way of an AI or the Gladiator if it came anywhere near Lance. Lance would do the same, and this resulted in a few more injuries than usual for the two paladin’s, considering Pidge used more of her brains to fight than actually fighting, and Lance was a long range shooter. They weren’t as often in the heat of battle as Shiro and Keith were.

They started talking more frequently. When it was time to eat, be it morning, noon, or evening (For them at least), the two of them sat next to each other, and they’d share small conversations with one another about anything and everything. Their favorite games, robotics, movies they hadn’t seen in forever, their favorites foods, and so on. They seemed to be in their own little world unless someone joined in on the conversation. Nine times out of ten it was Hunk, because the three of them had been thicker than thieves back on Earth, even if and when Pidge pushed them away quite often.

It had been pretty consistent like this, but Pidge noticed something.

Lance’s smile seemed forced.

Sure, there were times where he was genuinely happy. There were times he really laughed at a small joke of hers, or he’d enjoy when they sat beside each other. There was something between them, however. Even if she felt connected with him on a deeper level than before, there was still a strain, and it wasn’t her it was coming from.

It was from him.

He was quick to reconcile something that seemed out of place. If he forgot to say goodnight, or eye contact didn’t last as long, he’d fix it, but he’d look guilt-ridden while doing it. It was as if he were apologizing silently for something, but she didn’t know what it could possibly be.

Unless he broke her headphones again. She’d fixed them once already, but they’d been so battered from their travels that they didn’t have much time left.

No, that wouldn’t be why he’d feel guilt. Maybe a little, but not so much so that he felt the need to constantly apologize with his eyes.

It was getting irritating. She liked spending time with him, more so now than ever, but he was keeping his distance it seemed.

That wasn’t cool with her.

* * *

She caught him heading to bed. He’d said goodnight to everyone, a quick wave to her with another forced smile before he left the dining hall. Pidge quickly shoveled down the last of her food, subsequently giving herself a stomach ache, but it was the perfect excuse to leave.

Pidge all but chased him down, and just as he got to his room, she made it to him. Lance could hear her running from a mile away, giving her an odd look for a moment, but she didn’t miss the hesitation in his step as he came to a stop at his door.

“Pidge…?” He said her name in question, a frown on his lips as he left his door open to wait for her.

“H-Hey…” She panted, because Lance’s room just had to be so far away from everyone else’s room. Maybe that was because he enjoyed his peace and quiet while exfoliating his skin.

“Uh… What’s up?” Lance looked into his room for a moment before looking her up and down, completely confused.

“I need to talk to you.” She told him. No, she demanded of him. She wasn’t going to give him room for an argument.

“Okay…?” The blue paladin slowly nodded his head. Pidge huffed in agitation, something about his attitude annoying her before she shoved him into his room with a gruff _‘get in there.’_ Lance yelped as he was forced in, quickly covering his faulty footing before she could see him fall to the floor. “H-Hey! What was that for?”

“Well I don’t need someone walking by while we’re talking.” She explained.

“That doesn’t mean you needed to shove me.” The paladin grumbled to himself.

“Sorry, I just…” She stopped, opening and closing her mouth a few times to try and form a sentence, but the words were dying on her lips.

She’d thought about this conversation plenty of times within the past week. She thought about how to breach it, how to go about asking him what was wrong, but for whatever reason, nothing seemed right. It was like anything right now wouldn’t suffice.

“What…?” He asked. The teen sighed, figuring it was just best to get it over with. Lance needed things to be explained to him sometimes, so she’d do just that.

“I want to know what’s wrong.” Pidge asked him, her eyes falling to the floor.

She’d been as intimate as intimate could get with him. They’d shared kisses and nearly had sex on the bathroom floor, all while looking into his big, blue eyes, but for whatever reason she was shyer now than she felt she had been before.

“What do you mean?” Lance questioned with a frown, his eyes looking towards the floor as well. He knew she was on to him.

“I feel like… You know, after all we’ve been through the past couple of weeks, things would be different, and they are, but… I feel like you’ve been avoiding me.” Honestly, that’s how she felt. At first he’d been as close as he could physically get, but that close, personal contact was fading. With it, she felt like the warmth that had encased her for weeks was leaving too, and she didn’t want to lose it.

“I haven’t been avoiding you.” He argued with her.

“Then look me in the eye and say that.” She returned with, finally looking towards him.

Lance did just that, meeting her brassy eyes with frustration, but when it came time to say it, to tell her that she was wrong and that it was all in her head, he didn’t say anything.

He couldn’t do it, because he couldn’t lie.

Pidge felt her breath catch in her throat, like she’d been expecting him to prove her wrong. She’d been hoping he’d relax her internal grief with a few simple words of assurance, a cocky remark, and possible finger guns, but that wasn’t coming. He wasn’t making her feel any better by simply standing there and frowning.

“… Are you mad at me?” She asked him, her voice shaking.

The green paladin didn’t think that something like this would actually terrify her, but the idea that Lance was mad at her, or that he hated her was actually scary. She didn’t want him to be mad at her. She didn’t even want to think that he hated her.

“What…?” He questioned, eyes wide like the question had surprised him, and it had. Shouldn’t it have been the other way around? “No, I’m not mad.”

“Do you hate me then?” She asked, and this time the shaking was noticeable, even for him.

“No,” He shook his head. “What would make you think I hate you? I could never hate you.”

“Then why do you keep avoiding me?” Her question came out quicker, sharper, more stable then she thought it would, but there was a painful knot in the back of her throat, making it hard to swallow.

“I-I’m not-”

“Was it really that bad?” Suddenly the internal questions, the horrible thoughts she refused to think about came spilling out. “Was staying with me really that bad? Am I really that horrible?”

“What?” He gaped in surprise. “No! No it’s not that!”

So it was _something_ then.

“Am I disgusting?” The idea made her want to vomit. “Am I an eyesore to you? Do you keep avoiding me, because I’m disgusting?”

"No!” He exclaimed. “No, it has nothing to do with you! You aren’t disgusting and I don’t hate you! I’m just upset!”

"Upset...?" That made no sense to her. "Upset about what?"

"Pidge, I took everything from you!" He exclaimed with tossed hands. "When you get your first kiss, it's supposed to be with someone you really like! When you have sex, it's supposed to be with someone you trust and love, but I'm none of that! I let myself get carried away and I took away all of that from you instead of giving you the opportunity to have it with someone special! I was upset, because I knew I did that to you and I shouldn't have! I was upset because I knew  _you_  would be disgusted and  _you'd_  be mad at me once it was all over!"

Pidge's mouth was slack. She knew for a fact that her lips were parted to argue with him, but nothing was coming out. 

"I just... I just couldn't believe I let myself do that to you... I took everything away from you, and I would hate me too had that been me in that situation..." Lance dropped down on his bed, his head hanging low, his hands resting on his thighs. He was expecting this to be the part where she agreed with him whole-heartedly, that she yelled at him and took her frustration out on him. Honestly, he was waiting for her to drop kick him into next week, but it didn't happen. 

There was dip in his bed beside him. Pidge sat down next to him, her hands messing with the hemming of her shorts where a loose string sat. A quiet, tense moment went by before she spoke, her voice shaking. 

"I'm not disgusted," She said to him. "Or upset. I don't know what you're going on about either with this whole special thing. You are special to me Lance."

"No, I mean special like a pers-"

"I know what you mean, and that's what I'm saying. _You are_ special to me, Lance. I love you just as much as I love my family."

"Not like family..." He mumbled dejectedly. 

"You're my best friend, Lance." She said, a little bit more sternly. Her hand grabbed at his jacket sleeve and gave it a light tug, hoping to pull his eyes away from the floor and to her. "So I don't know what you're talking about. If you really didn't mean anything to me, I would have never let you touch me, regardless of my instincts. When I was younger and some random stranger came up to me a few days before my heat started, I beat the shit out of him.”

Lance looked up at her, a deep frown settled on his lips, but not because of her words. The idea that someone would ever touch Pidge other than him set his blood on fire. No one should ever put their hands on her. 

“I  _can_  push people away too. You aren't the only one."

"I still touched you..."

"You didn't do anything to me, Lance." She argued. 

"Do you not remember what we did?" His voice rose in anger. 

"That's nothing compared to what I thought we were going to do. When you walked into my room, I thought,  _‘Alright. This is it. At least it's Lance and not someone horrible. I can trust him with this.’_ And I was right."

Pidge stood up from the bed, grabbing at his chin when he tried to look away. She forced his eyes on her, a pointed glance telling him not to look away. 

"Do you have any idea how much it means to me that you took care of me? Any idea at all?" She asked him. Lance pulled back a little, thankful that she let go of his chin on the first pull. The angle his head was tilted at hurt, but he still kept his eyes on her. "Do you know how grateful I am that you sat by my side for two weeks and held me? Do you know how much it means to me that you didn't lay a finger on me?"

"But I did!" He argued. 

"Against all better judgment, you should have been fucking me into next week, but you didn't! Do you really think I'm looking at the one time we lost ourselves compared to the rest of the time you fought against your instincts and took care of me? Do you know how many other alphas wouldn't have done that?"

Lance's mind momentarily flashed to Keith, how he had tried hard to fight against his biology, but was quickly losing. Had he not gotten there, Keith probably would have been one of those alphas. He would have lost himself and done exactly what Pidge spoke of. 

The idea made his mind swell with anger. 

"Lance, I don't think I can explain it in words how much it means to me. I don't think I can tell you how grateful I am that you took care of me and kept me safe. I also don't think you realize that you mean everything to me. I trust you above anyone else in the universe, and you know I trust everyone here with my life. You  _are_  special to me, Lance.  _I do_  love you."

Pidge pulled on his arms, forcing him to stand. Once he was up, her arms were around him, her head against his chest, listening to his quickly beating heart. His arms, to her happiness, wound around her too, his head falling so his chin could rest on top of her head. 

"You didn't take my virginity, and as for the first kiss thing, I'm not mad or upset about it. It didn't even cross my mind until you said something a few minutes ago." She mumbled with a chuckle, and for a moment, she felt his chest rumble with one too. "I'm glad it was you. I trust you with it." She finalized, realizing that he'd been uncharacteristically quiet until just now.

She lifted her head, looking up at his blue eyes that seemed glassed over with something. Tears? Why would he be crying?

"Please don't be upset anymore, Lance." She begged of him. Lance cleared his throat, nodding slightly while looking away. She could imagine that this was a relief off of his shoulders, but he wouldn't admit it out loud. He was still kind of a prideful person. "That's not what I came here to see."

"Nah, I'm not very pretty when I cry..." He uttered, trying to keep his voice steady despite it not working out for him. 

"That's much better." She responded, lightly rubbing his back. "I came here to talk to you, not hear depressing crap."

"You mean that's not what you had in mind when you came to my room?" He questioned, frowning when he realized that all of this could have avoided provided that he knew she had something different in mind. 

"Not originally, but I'm glad we've talked about it." She looked up at him, a small glint of humor gleaming in her eyes. 

"… You're a little troll." Lance remarked, but he couldn't help but smile when she did. 

"I prefer little god, but we can work with that." She told him. Lance poked at her side, earning a yip, but his original goal was just to get her to let go. 

"What did you want to talk about then, little troll?" He asked her.

Pidge faltered for a moment, stepping back to pull at the hem of her windbreaker, like there was something wrong with his question. He couldn't tell because of the poor lighting in his room, but he could have sworn her cheeks were slightly red, all the way to her ears even. He wasn't used to this bashful side of her. Even when she was naked she wasn't that bashful, but a lot of that had been through her heat. She had nothing to worry about besides wondering when an alpha was going to take care of her. 

"So..." She began, pausing, swallowing, and then continuing. "My heat will come back in two months. There's no stopping it, unless, you know, we die at some point."

"Well that got morbid fast." Lance retorted. 

"Shut up. I'm not done." Pidge argued, her eyes barely meeting his. "I... I want you to be there with me when it comes again." 

"Oh..." Now Lance's cheeks were red. 

Even trying to think about having to be around her while she was in heat got his blood rushing. Knowing he'd have to do it all over again and try his damned hardest not to touch her sounded like pure torture. He'd have to do exactly what he did, minus nearly losing it all and dry humping her into the floor. He couldn't do that. He just had to sit with her, hold her, and rub at her stomach to reduce the cramps. 

In  _theory_  he could do it. In practice was different, because he'd already been through it once, so he already had a taste of it. 

Thinking about it, he wasn't sure if he could do that again, but if it was for her, he would do his best. 

"You'd make me go through that torture all over again?" He tried to joke with her, lightly-heartedly chuckling. Pidge frowned, however, taking his answer in a completely opposite direction. "I can do it. I mean, at least I have time to mentally prepare myself for it, and I can bring some clothes with me this time."

"Really...?" Pidge asked, seemingly surprised. 

"Yeah. I mean, so long as Coran and Allura keep bringing us food, I can sit with you for a few weeks." Lance explained. Pidge's cheeks seemed to flush darker. 

"No, Lance. That’s… Not what I meant." She said, looking away. 

"What...?" Lance asked. 

"When I said be there with me, I meant...  _You know_." The last part came out a hiss, her eyes looking to the floor and her bangs covering them like her glasses. 

"Oh..." He hummed. He got it right away. "O-Oh! Ohh!"

"Do you have to be so unorthodox?" She growled. 

"Are you high? Are you drunk-? Let me smell your breath!" He demanded. 

"Lance, knock it off!" Pidge rolled her eyes, but there was something calming about his panic or the way he dropped to his bed. "Will you do it or not?"

"W-Wait, hold on. Really?" He asked. 

"Yes really! What makes you think I'd be kidding?"

"It's not that I think you're kidding, it's just..." The blue paladin looked away, frowning and rubbing at his neck. "Pidge, you're... You're kind of asking me if I'd have sex with you."

"Duh." 

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I mean, like... What makes you want to do it? And why with me even? There are so many better options than just me!"

"Because I trust you." She stated simply. 

"But why? I don't understand why _now_ you're okay with it." 

"After all we just went through?" She gasped at him.

"Why...?" He asked again adamantly. 

“I just told you why." She growled. "I trust you. After what we went through, after all that you did for me, I know I'm in good hands with you. I know I can trust you with this."

"You make it sound like you're giving me a robot you built," He retorted. 

"It's not easy for me to just talk about losing my virginity here, Lance. I'm asking for you to have sex with me, and giving a lot of myself up. You know what it would mean if we do it, don't you?"

It took a moment for him to register all that she'd just said. 

Firstly, he'd be her first. She was admitting to that fully, and admitting she had no idea what she would do for him when the time came. She must not have realized he himself had no idea either. 

Secondly, if they did it, and did it while she was in heat, it wouldn't be regular sex. For them, they'd be mating. She'd no longer be just his friend or his teammate. She'd be his mate, and he'd be hers. Whenever she went into heat, he would always be there. Whenever she needed him, he'd always be there. If she was in trouble, he'd be there to defend her and keep her safe. It would be the same for him as well. She'd always be there for him. They would be connected on a totally different level than just teammates, than just Paladins or friends. 

They'd be mates if they did this. It wasn't just giving up their virginity. It was giving who they are to one another. 

That was on a whole different level than what they both originally pictured. Somewhere along the way Pidge had come to figure it out, but Lance had yet to do so until she said something. This was suddenly a lot more over his head than he realized. 

"Get it now?" She asked irritably. 

"Y-Yeah..." He uttered. 

"Listen, I get it. You know, if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. I'm just asking." Pidge began, slightly rambling. "I'm asking for a lot here, and I get it, so you don't have to do it. Just say no and it's all good."

Lance looked at his hands for a moment, to the floor beneath his feet, and then to her. Her cheeks were a dark red, all the way down her neck and to her ears. She was pulling hard at the edge of her shirt, practically stretching it while she continued on. 

"Nothing changes. Like, that's cool. That's fine. I can tough it out so you don't have to come back, and then that way you don't have to be concerned with me and can-"

The moment the words left her lips, something odd hurt in his heart. 

"I'll do it," He suddenly spoke up, but her rambling continued. 

"Like, I'll figure out what to do, and we'll just have to hope Zarkon doesn't attack-" She stopped, mouth agape when the words took residence in her mind. She stared at him for a moment longer, and Lance thought that maybe it wasn't that healthy to be that red that fast. "... What?"

"I said I'll do it." He said. 

"You... You don't have to..." She uttered, wide eyed and completely confused. 

"I want to." Lance told her. 

"You..." Pidge stammered for a moment, looking away, hoping she wasn't nearly as red as she knew she was. "I-I don't want to force you into this, Lance."

"You aren't forcing me. I want to do this." The blue paladin said as he stood. 

"Are you sure?" She asked him. "Lance you... You're going to be stuck with me." 

"You say that like it's a bad thing." He mentioned with a small, almost shy smile, reaching for one of her hands that had a vicious grip on her shirt.

"It is for you. What if you find someone you really like? What if she really likes you? You can't do anything when you're mated with me." 

"Pidge..." Lance rolled his eyes before touching her cheek. "Don't you think I've thought of that?"

"Clearly you haven't!" She exclaimed. "Maybe you need some time to think about it. Like, a few days. Maybe a few weeks even."

"Pidge," Now he was annoyed. He leaned forward and kissed her before she could get out another word, silencing her, surprising her into a wide eyed silence.

She held onto his shirt tightly, breathing in sharply, but when it came to breathing out, it was more like a sigh. A relaxed sigh when she realized that this was nice. It was pleasant. His lips were warm and soft against her own, just like they had been weeks before. She hadn't gotten the chance to really focus on the kisses before, only thinking that they quelled all the pain she felt, but now she thought about how it gave her a warm tingle down her spine, how it gave her goosebumps.

It was a small, simple kiss, and yet it turned her into a weak-kneed teenager in seconds. She managed to keep herself grounded, if only slightly, but she liked that she could take the kiss in differently from when she was in heat. 

When they parted, Lance's hand rubbed at her cheek just beneath her eye. Her skin was flushed and a cute shade of pink, her pupils were huge, and she looked as if she had something to say, but the words were caught in her throat. 

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't want to." He spoke quietly, like the words he was saying were a secret. "I  _can_  push people away too." The next words were said with a smirk as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

Yes, he'd thought it through. Sure, it was a short amount of time to think about it on a level headed manner, but he managed to piece together everything based on all they had been through quickly enough. In hindsight, thinking someday that anyone in the world; no, in the  _universe_ , would try to have her made him angry. He didn't like the idea that she'd be with someone else, even if that meant she was with someone twenty years from now, because, twenty years from now, he wanted her by his side. 

He couldn't put it into words yet. He didn't know what this feeling was. Maybe it was a crush, or jealously, or maybe it was something more, but he knew he liked her. If she was asking this of him, it must have meant she liked him too, and that was a good thing. A very good thing. 

"... A-Are you sure?" This time, she wasn't irritated. She was nervous, hesitant as she asked him again, like she was afraid he'd been joking the entire time, and that he would suddenly change his answer. She was actually hoping with all of her might he’d say yes.

"Are  _you_  sure?" He asked her. "Because you don't sound so sure. If you aren't ready for that, Pidge-"

"No, no! I am!" She interrupted him, only for her cheeks to darken again when she realized just how enthusiastic she came across. "I-I mean, like... If you're okay with it... I'm okay with it..."

Lance couldn't help the chuckle under his breath, bringing her head to rest against his chest with no resistance. Her arms wrapped around his waist, holding him close; it was kind of nice to hug him without feeling like she needed to ride him into next week. 

"Great..." He agreed quietly, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. 

He wasn't entirely sure where this was going to lead them in the next two months. He wasn't sure how this was going to affect their friendship, if anything was going to change between them, or if it would remain the same. He was sure it was going to be awkward for a while. Not entirely sure how he was going to explain it to the team, or if they were just going to keep it a secret until she went into heat again. 

Either way, one thing was for certain, and that was that they were going to be mates. 

Part of him couldn't wait. 

* * *

Pidge's heat came faster than they all had expected. 

It had only been a month and it happened when they had just finished training. They had just come out of a training deck and were heading to the dining hall, all smiles, happy, and content after a relatively great training session. Nothing seemed like it was out of place. Pidge hadn't even gotten any symptoms or early signs that her heat was rapidly approaching her.

It was too early and without any signs that it was coming, she wasn't expecting to feel a sudden burst of heat in her stomach. It was so intense and so rapidly painful that it had her falling to her knees, clutching at her stomach, and suddenly gasping for air. Keith was the first to see her fall and the first to run to her. Hunk and Lance were just as quick to be by her side, Shiro right on their heels. The red paladin picked her up into his arms, but quickly handed her to Lance when he saw the intense look of distress on his face. 

"Pidge, what's wrong?" Shiro asked, kneeling down beside them and feeling her forehead. She was burning up quickly, so much though that he could feel it through his suit. 

"What's going on?" Hunk asked, looking her over. He hadn't seen her take any serious damage in training, the worst hit probably being a zap from the gladiators spear. Otherwise, she had managed perfectly fine. "Is she sick?"

"S-Shit..." She cussed under her breath, feeling her legs shaking, a wetness seeping in between them. "I-It's too early. It sh-shouldn't be here...!" She gasped, clutching at Lance's shoulder with one hand while the other held her stomach. 

"What's too early?" Lance asked, and that's when the smell hit them all. 

It was worse. Much worse than before. Lance didn't remember it being this bad when he'd been in her room, and he'd been laying with her for two weeks. It was just as bad for the others, if not worse, because they hadn't been this close. She'd been careful to keep her distance before it came, but there had been absolutely no signs that it was coming, so there was no time to prepare. 

Shiro and Hunk quickly covered their noses, disbelief and horror taking over their expressions. Keith looked away, bending over to keep himself grounded with his fingers pressed into the cold tile floor. 

"Right now...?" Lance asked, clutching her body close. Pidge cried out at the pressure, her head nodding. "I-It's not due for another three weeks!"

"Lance, get her out of here," Shiro told him, quickly stepping back. "Get her to the farthest room in the castle before it gets any worse."

It already had, so Lance didn't quite understand where he was going with that. Regardless, he nodded his head in understanding, scooping her up into his arms. The green paladin cried out again at the motion, her stomach cramping in intense pain. 

It hadn't been like this before. None of her heats had ever felt like this before. Her stomach never cramped up this bad, her body temperature never got this high, and she never felt this sick in her life. She could hardly open her eyes, because the lights around them were suddenly too bright. 

She heard someone yell. Pidge could barely see the outline of someone lunging, but someone else holding them back. It was Lance who had yelled, telling Keith to back off, a snarl under his tone. She didn't think Lance had ever sounded so threatening before. 

Another hand was on her; a bigger, much stronger hand, but it wasn't attacking. It was only on her shoulder for a second before it was pushing Lance forward, getting him away from the other Paladins. 

"The farther she is, the safer she is."

It was Hunk's voice. Bless his big heart. He was a beta, but that didn't mean the smell of her hormones didn't affect him any. It was probably driving him crazy, but he was pushing Lance anyway, following them down the hallways and corridors of the castle, as far away as possible to keep the scent as dim as it could be. 

If everything all worked out in the end, this would only last a few days. She'd be fine and back in action in no time, but that was if all went well. 

Lance couldn't see how this could go wrong, but he'd rather not think of the negatives. He was her mate. That meant he was going to take care of her. 

His mate. 

When had that stopped being a question and more of a constant?

They made it to a room. Any old room that had been further down in the castle instead of their own closest to the bridge. Hunk patted his back, opened his mouth like he had something to say, but stopped short and turned away. He couldn't be there any longer. 

Lance huffed, some sort of odd laugh and a grunt mixed in before he walked into the room. It was clear upon inspection that it had been uninhabited for years, probably as long as Allura and Coran had been in the stasis pods. It was still clean, without a speck of dust, but there was nothing there to indicate that anyone lived there. No scattered books or trash like in Pidge's room, and no tossed about clothing like his own. It was just a plain room with the lights turned on a very dim setting, and that was fine by him. 

"L-Lance..." Pidge whined, clutching at the armor around his neck. The blue paladin was quick to set her down, to lay her down gently on the bed so as not to hurt her. Her arms stayed around his shoulders, and when he moved to sit up, he couldn't. She held on with an iron grip. 

"Pidge..." He mumbled, reaching up to hold her arms, looking down at her with fog filled eyes. She looked probably similar to how he looked, her hair already a mess from training, sweating, her cheeks a dark red in the dim lighting of the room. Her body was already writhing, her heat in full affect. Her legs were pressed together, trying to gather some friction for herself, but at any moment would he be in between them, doing it for her. "... A-Are you sure?" He asked once more, because he needed the last bit of confirmation that this was all still okay to her. 

"Y-Yeah..." She stuttered, a small, shy smile gracing her lips behind the pain. "Are  _you_  sure...?"

"Yeah..." He replied, chuckling lightly. He leaned forward, careful and calculated, to place a soft, hesitant kiss on her forehead. He felt her breathe against his neck, shifting under him to pull at the forearm band of his armor. 

"I'm not fragile..." She mumbled, slowly slipping the piece off of him. "I won't break..."

"I know..." He breathed against her skin. Pidge was everything but breakable. "Just don't want to hurt you..."

His voice was muffled as his lips traveled across her skin, across her cheek before meeting her own. The paladin beneath him groaned, her task of pulling his armor off ignored to wrap her arms around his shoulders again. 

It was easy getting most of the pieces off of her. When it came to the plates on her arms and legs, they came off no problem. The same thing with her belt. It was the piece around her chest that caused some irritation. Taking it off himself was easy, but taking it off someone else was a problem, especially considering she was writhing from her heat, in pain and delirious from the cramps and quickly rising temperature of her body. 

He managed as quickly as he could, tossing the chest guard to the floor without a care for it before dealing with his own. He felt a sudden surge of panic as Pidge squirmed beneath him, her hands sitting at his hips, pulling at his belt to get it off.

He would have told her to be patient, but that would have made him a hypocrite. 

Pidge popped off his belt just as Lance got his armor off. It too was carelessly tossed away before he was on her, his arms wrapping around her waist, his hands traveling up her back. Her body arched into his while her neck was assaulted by his lips, crying out, desperate for something. Her body was craving his touch, and even this wasn't enough. 

Lance found the zipper at the neckline of her body suit and pulled, having some difficulty with her still laying on her back. He grabbed at her arms and pulled, forcing her to sit up, which didn't bode well for her. Pidge cried out in pain, her arms tugging at his neck to keep herself upright. She could feel the cold air prickle her skin the more her back was exposed, and she let out a hiss.

It was unwelcoming and made her feel numb, but Lance was so warm. So warm and soft, and it was easy to roll against him, her legs now on either side of his hips and her fingers digging into his hair. 

Lance finally began pulling her suit down, exposing her bit by bit, starting at her shoulders. His lips caressed every part of her skin as it hit the air, feeling a dampness from her heat, or maybe even their previous training, against his lips. Her body was already burning up, and for just a quick moment did he think that she needed to cool down, but Pidge rolled her hips against his already aching erection, and he completely forgot. 

Pidge's arms were inevitably trapped when he pulled her suit down her bare skin. For a moment she struggled, but he thought that now would be a good time to have some fun of his own (like this wasn't enough already). While the teen was preoccupied trying to free her arms, Lance leaned forward, dragging his lips down her chest until he could suck on the tender skin of her breast. Pidge's head ducked to watch him closely, pining the sensation to the sight, but quickly closed her eyes when he lightly bit on her nipple. 

"S-Shit... Lance..." Her voice was shaky and broken, her back bowing and head tilting back. The blue paladin busied himself with thumbing at her other nipple, and for a quick second, he thought that he had been right.

Definitely the perfect size for his hands. 

Pidge struggled again, finally freeing her arms and wrapping them around his shoulders, her fingers tangling in his hair. She whimpered by his ear pleadingly, feeling the strength in her body lesson with each lick and second that went by. He wasn't done with the abuse until her nipples were red and hard, and until she was verbally begging for him. For him to stop? For him to keep going? The line was getting blurry. 

Lance lifted his head and kissed her without a moment’s hesitation. The heat was melting from the inside out as she rolled her hips, grinding down on his erection to keep the friction going. The moans and whimpers against his lips as she struggled to breathe through the thick air and the tongue shoved down her throat were addicting. He swallowed them down greedily as she leaned into his touch, clambering onto him for support, a hand seeking out his to hold on to. 

"L-Lance..." She gasped when they separated, his name coming from her music to his ears. He lowered her back down onto the bed gently, his hands running down her thighs lightly just for the sensation of it. 

She looked good like this. On her back, legs parted on either side of his hips, open and inviting. Her chest rising and falling with heavy breathing, her eyes big and wide and beautiful in the dim light, and her hair splayed out in all sorts of directions. 

She had looked good completely naked as well. He wouldn't mind seeing that again. He was only half way there. 

"Pidge..." He mumbled, reaching for her suit resting at her waist and pulling down. The paladin whined, her legs lifting to allow the last of her outfit off, leaving her bare minus her undergarments. They'd already been ruined by the fluids she let out, and while it was utterly mortifying, covering herself to hide the evidence from her friend, it seemed to entice him all the more. "Don't hide from me." He told her, pushing on the inside of her thighs and spreading them open. 

"I-I don't..." Pidge began, but stopped when his fingers graced lower, her muscles quivering. "K-Know why I am... It's not like you..." She shuddered when his fingers hooked under the waistband. "H-Haven't seen me naked before..." She finished with a shaky breath. 

"Didn't think you could ever be shy..." Lance swallowed a lump around his throat as he tugged her underwear down, peeling them away and watching her cover herself more. 

Maybe it was because before when he'd first seen her naked and writhing, something inside of her told her that they weren't going to do it. Deep down she knew with all her heart that Lance would never lay a finger on her without her full (and conscious) consent. She didn't need to be shy, because she knew it wouldn't lead anywhere. 

Now, however, they were going to do it. They had every intention of having sex, which meant he was about to see everything with the intent to  _see_  it. 

"... A-Armor's still on..." She mumbled, looking about his body and frowning when she couldn't see his perfectly sculpted muscles from under it all. Lance had been so mesmerized by her body, however, that he didn't even register the words at first. Not until the inside of her thigh pressed into his side with the intent to hurt him for making her wait. 

Stupid heat. Couldn't it have waited until they were in regular clothes at the very least?

"Right..." He grumbled, quickly pulling off the smaller pieces restricting their actions. When it came to actually taking off the suit, he had problems. He never had problems before, but then again, he'd never been in this much of a rush to get it off before. Just on. 

"Lance..." Pidge sat up a little bit, balancing herself on one hand while the other reached behind him to help undo the zipper and pull it down. She was more than grateful when his beautifully dark skin revealed itself slowly but surely. If her mind wasn't so fogged, she would have done more than stare, but she couldn't help herself. 

She'd never thought of Lance like this before. He definitely  _wasn't_  bad looking, and every now and again she would have admitted to herself that he was actually attractive in his own sort of dorky way. She only started really taking in the tiny details after her first heat, after her heart began to flutter around him, and how she knew she was blushing slightly whenever he'd put a hand on her shoulder or ruffle up her hair like everything was okay. It was only after she realized that she liked him that she took in tiny details about himself, tiny details that made her brain foggy and her mouth water, but there was no way in hell she'd ever admit that out loud. 

Once Lance managed his arms free and for his suit to sit around his waist like Pidge's had been, Lance settled himself down between her legs. He separated them with gentle hands that held onto them so she wouldn't close herself away, laying on his stomach so he could better situate himself for what he was about to do. 

"L-Lance..." The teen all but squeaked, her body shaking. Her eyes watered up in mortification, because it wasn't the first time she'd thought about him doing this to her. 

Oh, she had plenty of time to think about it, and each time did she’d get bombarded with self-doubt. He may have seen her naked, but there was still that sliver of fear that he'd run away and think she was disgusting. 

"Don't hide from me..." There was something feral in his voice. Something that was almost a command, like when he snarled at Keith before. It had goosebumps rise on her flesh, and despite her fears and doubts, when he moved her hands, she didn't fight him about it. She only held onto his hands with an iron grip, looking away and to the ceiling, because there was no way she could actually look at him while he did it despite the amount of times she'd thought about it lying in bed. 

That was until he actually licked at her wet opening. Any self-doubts were sent right through the air lock, her eyes rolling back into her head. She couldn't even look if she wanted to. 

The green paladin gasped, her hands finding his hair and gripping at it. She would have thought that her nails scratching at his scalp or her pulling on his hair would have been a turn off, but he groaned in appreciation, showing it by dragging his tongue along her clit before sucking on it. 

She was seeing stars. 

"O-Oh... F-Fuck..." Her voice shook as she took in a shuddering breath, her hips rolling into Lance's face. His hands grabbed at her hips and pinned them into place, leaving her at his mercy. She wasn't entirely sure if she was pleased or not by this action, because she couldn't wiggle about freely. Part of her also liked that, and liked the strength he showed. Somehow that dominating side was really a turn on. 

He sucked again, and this time he managed to push a finger in without her noticing until it happened. There was absolutely no stretch; she was too wet for it, and the idea was enticing. He pushed his tongue in beside his finger, pushing in and out and mimicking motions that would be used later.

He would have keened at her beautiful moan had his mouth not been preoccupied, because her voice was pure music to his ears. Her taste was addictive, and he couldn't get enough of it. Part of him thought that he could spend all day doing this, just fingering her and sucking all of her sweet juices, but he knew there was more, and he was quite eager to get to it all. 

"L-Lance...!" The way she cried out his name was going to be the death of him. He was aching to be inside of her, but he didn't want to push her limits. She had to be ready for this. 

"You're fucking perfect..." He breathed against her skin before pushing two fingers in and thrusting hard, because there was still no resistance, simultaneously sucking on her clit. 

The overstimulation did her in. 

Her back arched perfectly, her head tilting back into the pillow, her free hand tugging at the sheets while the other yanked hard on his hair, and he watched every throw of ecstasy. Every shudder and shiver, the way she couldn't breathe for a moment, lips parted, but letting out no sound as he curled his fingers up and pushed them in as deep as they could go. He took in the way her skin was flushed, the light sheen of sweat on her skin, how beautiful she looked and sounded when she finally gasped out. 

Her body tensed and un-tensed, curling in on herself as he continued his assault. She cried out, a sobbing plea for him to back off as she pushed his head away. It was suddenly too much for her body to handle, even with her heat. 

"L-Lance, n-no more...!" She begged him, sighing in relief when he finally sat up to wipe away the remains of her orgasm from his mouth, but even now, her body was aching, still begging for more even though she clearly couldn't handle much else. 

"Was that too much?" Lance asked her. Pidge was surprised he could even form a coherent sentence. 

"It was perfect..." She lolled her head to the side, enjoying the sensation of relief, but her heat was still there, still creeping up behind her only to make her stomach cramp up. Like this, she felt like it would never end. 

"Pidge," Lance's voice was hoarse, but so earnest. Pidge's body throbbed, instantly recognizing him as her mate without them having even done it yet. She knew that Lance was all she needed. 

“Lance…” She called his name like she was begging for him to return, even if he was right there. It didn’t feel right when he wasn’t touching her, when he wasn’t in her, when his body heat wasn’t there keeping her warm. She reached out for him with a shaking hand, their eyes connecting as he took it up and laced their fingers together. She pulled him close, but there was only so close he could get between her hips, and his suit wasn’t off yet. He couldn’t be inside her.

Lance found her other hand and pinned it above her head, holding it still. She would have thought he was going to kiss her like this, but the hand she’d been holding pushed her wrist into the pillow above her head like the other, and with one hand, he held both of her wrists down.

The motion would have been frightening at any other point in time, but she knew Lance would never do anything to hurt her. He would always put herself above him. Always.

That, and she was blind-sighted when he pushed three fingers into her un-expectantly, but not unwelcomed.

Pidge gasped, choked on saliva, her back arching beautifully. Her nipples were pert and hard, begging to be touched, but he was so focused on vigorously thrusting in and out of her, using his thumb to rub at her clit and stimulate her, that he didn't touch them. 

 _Yet._ He'd come back to that. 

"F-Fuck, shit!" Pidge cried out.

“D-Does it hurt?” Once again, she was no less then surprised he still had a few rational thoughts left in him, but his fingers slowed down in fear that he’d pushed her too far, and damn, did she dislike that.

It wasn’t enough.

“D-Don’t stop…” She whimpered, pushing her hips into his hand while tears slid down her red cheeks. “P-Please don’t stop…”

Lance stared at her for a moment, completely still except for his heavy breathing.

“… Fucking hell, Pidge.” He cursed under his breath, quickly regaining a brutal pace. The green paladin nearly screamed, her vision going black as she closed her eyes, groaning when he curled his fingers up.

She couldn’t get enough of it, even when she thrust her hips down with as much strength as she could produce. His fingers were long and bigger than her own though, and they were making her completely weak. Her position didn’t help either; she wasn’t even feeling the tight grip he had on her wrists, just that she couldn’t move her hands to hold onto his shoulders, to his cheeks, his hair; anything. She didn’t know what to hold first. She just wanted to hold him.

She was close to calling out his name, but he curled his fingers in just the right way, her orgasm taking her by surprise. This time she really did scream, and hearing that brought Lance to his own release, completely untouched, ruining the inside of his suit. 

A couple more enthusiastic thrusts of his finger and she was yanking to get her hands free, her body curling away, over stimulated. He pulled his fingers out of her, watching a trail of her cum drip from his fingers, completely soaking wet. Really, there was no need for preparation. She was perfectly ready, but he enjoyed it just as much, along with the sight. 

"L-Lance..." She begged, pleaded, her hands making grabbing motions for his waist. She could see the wetness seeping through his suit, ruined by both her own fluids and his. She could see the outline of his erection though, still hot and hard, throbbing, like her heat was commanding it to do so. "H-Hurry up. Please..."

"You want it?" He asked her, his body shivering at the thought that he would be in her soon enough.  

"I want it..." Pidge nodded her head eagerly as he leaned over her, Pidge grabbing at where his suit was and yanking to get it down his hips, at least enough to where his cock was out. That was all she wanted. 

"Hold on..." Lance sat back for just a moment to remove his the last of his suit and armor, underwear coming off with them. The cold air that hit his sweating skin was a chill he didn't appreciate, so it didn't take long for him to return to her, wrapping his arms around her body and pulling her in for an embrace. 

"Holy shit..." Pidge tilted her head back, mind spinning when she felt his cock against her flushed skin. It rubbed against her opening in just the right way, making her gasp, and her hips pushing down for more. 

"I can't stop now..." Lance warned her, petting the side of her head affectionately, because that was all he seemed to be able to do in his stricken state. If she had any last reservations, now was the time to say something, because there was still a part of him that thought for sure he could stop himself. She just needed to say so.

"Who said I want you to?" She asked him, hands running up his back until she could hold onto his shoulders. 

That was all he needed to hear. 

In one fluid motion, he pushed into her, his mouth dropping open to let out a groan, surprised by the warmth, the wet sensation enveloping him until their hips were connected. Pidge gasped into his ear, her body rolling into him, accepting of this intrusion and clearly enjoying every moment of it. She felt nothing but mind numbing pleasure so deep into her. She'd never felt anything like it. 

She cussed a couple of times, words she wasn't entirely sure were English or some form of gibberish. Maybe even Altean. She'd heard Allura cuss once or twice in her own language. Her nails scratched down Lance's back, and while normally she'd be concerned, thinking she'd hurt him, he seemed into it, groaning against her skin as he peppered some kisses along her neck. 

"C-Can I move?" He asked her, his body shaking. He was waiting to make sure she was okay to continue. Vaguely she wondered how difficult that must be to think about in his position. "P-Pidge, can I?"

She nodded, mindlessly whining against him while she sealed her lips over the lobe of his ear and sucked on it. 

That's when he moved, and that's when everything went white for a couple of seconds. There was some horrible sound let out, and for a moment she thought someone died before she realized that was her crying out. Of course her horror was replaced when he moved in and out of her again. 

She heard the sounds coming from where they were connected, wet and sticky, and at any point in time, it would have annoyed her to hear something like that, but right now it was such a turn on. It seemed to drive Lance on too, because he sat up, hands braced beside either side of her head as he drove in faster, harder, hips snapping into hers vigorously. The bed would have moved had it not been built into the wall the way it was, but she definitely heard something fall off of the bed. Probably a piece of armor, but whether it was his or hers was hard to decipher.

His thrusts were powerful and everything she needed. So strong that she had her knees to her chest, rolling her back. Lance stopped for just a few seconds to throw her legs over his shoulders before continuing his now bordering brutal pace.

The angle was enough to have her scream again and again. Her voice went raw. He was doing exactly what her body so desperately needed, what she didn't know she ever needed until right now. It was smart for them to have waited until they had a clearer mind, but fuck them if they ever waited again. 

"P-Pidge!" Lance reached between them and started thumbing at her clit again, feeling the pulsing and swelling from his thrusts. She went silent for a second as she threw her head back, her nails scratching into his forearms as she came again. The sight was so damn pleasing to him. It wasn't enough to make him cum, but he'd built up stamina. It brought him closer to it, especially with the way she suddenly tightened around him. 

Pidge screeched finally, gasping for air, tossing her head to the side from the over stimulation. He didn't slow down, didn't stop, and his relentless teasing to her clit was making tears bead at the corners of her eyes. Not from pain; definitely not, but she didn't think she'd ever cry from sex. 

Lance ducked down, bending at an odd angle to kiss her forehead. It bent her in half practically, but she sobbed in pleasure regardless, reaching up to cup his cheeks in her hands and bring him in for a real kiss. He felt the vibrations of her moans against his lips, swallowing down each one with greed.

"S-Shit Pidge..." He whispered against her lips. The pace he'd set became sporadic, his rhythm thrown off. He dropped one of her legs, but held onto the other, his hand stroking up her soft, sweaty skin. The new position literally ripped another orgasm from her, and probably making her scream the weirdest sound she'd ever thought she'd made. Her hands clutched at the pillow and sheets beneath her as he fucked into her harder, his orgasm near.

Clamping down as she had brought him closer to his own release, probably the final one, and she wanted to see that. She wanted that to happen, and inside of herself no less. He was so close, his voice rising, his pitch getting higher. The hand on her leg squeezed hard as he leaned down to suck on a nipple. She shuddered as he bit lightly at the raised bud before she yanked on his hair, pulling him back up for a kiss. He definitely liked that. 

"D-Do it inside of me...!" She begged him, feeling his breath against her lips. He was panting, delirious, and ready to cum. “P-Please!”

"Fuck...!" He eyes squeezed shut, pushing his body into hers so that their chests were pressed together. A couple of more hard thrusts and he was coming, not pulling out and letting it all spill inside of her. Pidge screamed again, suddenly feeling a thick pressure along with the warmth. It was a tight, almost painful pressure that seemed to fill her up. It wasn’t hard to figure out what it was, that he’d just knotted her, and that she should have been slightly worried (More like horrifically concerned), but she wasn’t.

There were tears staining her red cheeks, the sensation of being full somehow curbing any and all worries she could have ever felt, and ever would feel. They were connected now. They were mated, and really, there should have been a part of her that should have been worried, because there were so many variables to go over, but the exhaustion set in. Mating had finally settled her heat, at least for now, leaving her only with sleep filling her senses, barely registering Lance’s trembling body now lying beside her own, his arms pulling her to his chest as he rolled her onto her side.

Right, he was still inside of her. He was going to be there for a while, and Pidge didn’t mind one bit.

She curled into him, her leg over his hips, feeling cold air bite at her sweating skin, and only Lance could keep her warm. Her hands were between their chests, resting against his ribs, feeling the rise and fall as he breathed deeply. Somewhere between them she could feel his heartbeat against her fingertips, sporadic and fast, a gentle lullaby. She didn’t think she’d ever been this tired in her life. Not even after the first few nights when Matt and her father were pronounced dead. Not even the mental exhaustion could compare to the physical exhaustion she felt right now.

“Pidge…” Lance mumbled, sleep clinging to his tired senses as well. She felt his lips against her forehead, his warm breath fanning against her skin. “I don’t think… I ever said it back…”

In the state she was currently in, the words made absolutely no sense to her. There wasn’t any rationality left in her brain to think of a logical response let alone create the answer.

“Hmm…” She hummed, because that was as logical as it was going to get.

“Never said…” His lips brushed against her cheek. “That I love you back…”

Pidge felt a small smile against her skin, light breath, a laugh. She lifted her head to press her lips into his, barely a kiss, but the warmth behind it was made her heart beat like crazy, and yet lull her into security.

Like that, it was so easy to fall asleep.

* * *

It took a couple of days for the last of her heat to subside. Only a few more days, and a whole lot more sex. It was no longer worth being concerned over, and now that there was an alpha at her side, no one dared to come near them until they were done. 

They made their way to the dining hall themselves, hand in hand, cheeks dark red, because the minute they got there, everyone was looking at them. Hell, even the mice knew what they'd been up to. 

"Wow. Done already?" Hunk asked, a grin spreading his cheeks. Pidge fixed him with an annoyed glare while Lance coughed like he'd missed the comment entirely. 

"Leave them be." Keith told him. "It's not often you get to have sex to the point you wake up a cow." He added, his own grin just as wide as Hunk's had been. The Yellow Paladin laughed at him, enjoying the torment for all it was worth. It wasn't often he and Keith could team up to take down a common enemy. 

"Stop it." Shiro told them, trying to eat his food in peace and not draw attention to the two paladins. He knew what they had done; they all knew, but he could imagine them feeling some level of privacy being breached by their teasing. 

Not to mention that he really didn’t feel the need to know the details. Pidge was like the daughter he never had, and as such, he didn’t need to know she had an alpha taking care of her.

Pidge and Lance exchanged a glance at each other, a timid smile shared between them before they went to sit and eat. Hunk, of course, had to poke fun at them a bit longer. 

"I'm surprised the bed didn't collapse on your guys." He said, and quickly received a slap on the back of the head from Pidge as she walked by. “Ouch! Lance, tell your omega to keep her hands to herself!”

He couldn’t resist the teasing. Both Pidge and Lance were prideful people, which meant it wasn’t often that he could see them with red cheeks or completely quiet, with nothing to say as a comeback.

“Isn’t that usually how it works? The omega listens to the alpha?” Keith asked, snickering around his spoon.

“Dude…” Lance chuckled as he sat down at an empty chair, Pidge taking up the seat beside him. “We might be mated, but that doesn’t mean I can tell her what to do.”

“And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll watch yourself.” Pidge added, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Yep, she’s back.” Hunk announced, happy to hear the regular inflection in her tone that was just so Pidge.

“It’s not just me you should be worried about. One wrong move and Lance will screw you up.” She declared, because she knew that Lance would always be there to protect her. She wouldn’t ever actually need it when it came to her team, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun to poke at them with.

“Yes, but will he screw us like he screwed you?” Keith uncharacteristically asked with a pointed finger towards her mate.

“Can we please-!” Shiro’s hand hit the table, startling everyone, but that didn’t stop the teens from chuckling under their breath at his reaction. “Please, can we just stop talking about it and eat?”

“Sorry,” Lance apologized for them all, reaching towards the middle of the table to grab at one of the plates of food. “Who made breakfast?” He asked, just to abide by Shiro’s request.

“Hunk did,” Keith replied.

“Cool,” Pidge nodded her head, smiling when Lance pushed the plate he’d grabbed to her instead of keeping it for himself. “So uh… What happened while we were gone?”

“Hunk’s pregnant with Shay’s baby.” Keith said around an Altean fruit.

“Aww, congrats Hunk.” Pidge mused, easily giving in to the joke.

“Whoa, wait! I’m not pregnant, and why am _I_ pregnant with _Shay’s_ baby?”

“Cause she’s your girlfriend.” Lance stated like it was an obvious fact.

“She’s not my girlfriend! She’s a rock person I just happen to admire!” He exclaimed, but no one was buying it for a second.

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that, dude.” Pidge mocked.

There was more laughter, more smiles, and for once, the air was clean and relaxed. Pidge was glad her heat was over, and definitely faster than the last one had been. There were too high of stakes raised when she was in heat, knowing none of them would be able to fight in any of their conditions.

There were still a lot of things to worry about. There was still a lot to think about, but she was glad Lance was there. Glad he was sitting by her side, finding her hand against her chest and pulling it into his own on the table to hold. It was a comforting reassurance, knowing everything was going to be alright, when the chances of everything falling apart in the next five minutes were very likely.

There was a slight pain in her chest, thinking that they could be separated again, or worse, that she’d lose him. The idea that they could lose one another before they’d mated hurt, because they were teammates and best friends. Thinking about it now?

She was already tearing up.

“Hey…” Lance mumbled, squeezing her hand lightly. Pidge looked up at him, practically pouting. “It’s going to be okay. You can’t worry about the future, because it’s only going to make you sick. Worry about the here and now, okay?”

“I didn’t know you could read the others mind once you mate…” Pidge retorted, a small smile gracing her features.

“Nah, it’s just a gift from god.” Lance replied, glad the joke could make her chuckle. It made him really happy when she smiled.

“Eww,” Keith groaned from where he sat. “Take that married couple stuff to the bedroom!”

“M-Married couple?” The blue paladin all but blushed. Yeah, they’d had sex, but he hadn’t even thought of marriage. Somehow that was more intimidating than being her mate.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t even thought of getting mar-!”

Keith was suddenly silenced when a bowl of green goo flew right into his head.

**Author's Note:**

> BUT THE REAL QUESTION IS!  
> Who threw the bowl of green goo? DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN!  
> (Who are we kidding? It was Shiro.)


End file.
